In the News

From 1914 to 1920, thousands of men who immigrated to Canada from Europe were called 'enemy aliens' and sent to internment camps during the First World War. Some families were imprisoned as well. Sandra Semchuk explores that dark period in our history in her new book, 'The Stories Were Not Told: Canada's First World War Internment Camps' -- inspired by a stop at Castle Mountain near Banff. Sandra joined host Doug Dirks in studio.

Mark Minenko is a PhD (Law) candidate at King’s College London. His thesis topic is civilian rights during war and conflict, more specifically how emergency powers legislation during the First World War affected civil liberties in the United Kingdom and Canada. He was a Canadian barrister and solicitor for more than 30 years, served in the Canadian military reserves for over 36 years, including service in Bosnia as the assistant to the NATO Political Advisor during the NATO to EU transition period, and worked in government in legislative drafting and policy development. He was also a Member of the Legislative Assembly in Manitoba and he became a footnote in Parliamentary history in 1988 as the first member from the Opposition to be elected as a Speaker or Deputy Speaker in the Commonwealth.

Grants

Applying for a Grant from the Canadian First World War Recognition Fund

Who is eligible?

Canadian citizens or permanent residents

corporations

sole proprietorships

partnerships, and trusts

joint ventures

educational institutions

unincorporated associations established in Canada or owned and controlled by Canadians and carrying out their activities in Canada

What kinds of projects are eligible?
Eligible project activities shall include, without being limited to, the following activities provided that they related to the First World War Internment in Canada:

educational material, seminars, websites and publications;

commemorative events and activities;

plaques, historical markers and monuments;

research and its dissemination;

university chairs;

acquisition, restoration, and preservation of sites of historical significance such as internee cemeteries;

development of museum exhibits, including the acquisition of relevant artifacts and the fitting out of physical space for the exhibits; and

other relevant cultural and community development projects.

What are the project assessment criteria?

To what extent will the project commemorate Canada’s first national internment operations of 1914-1920 and educate or inform Canadians about what happened?

To what extent does the individual, organization or group receive support from any of the affected communities or from descendants of internees?

To what degree will the project present what happened in a novel or unique manner or make use of a medium that will help to promote awareness about Canada’s first national internment operations?

To what extent will the project reflect the affected ethno-cultural communities’ nature of the internment camps and what happened to those Canadians representing several different European communities in Canada just before, during and after the First World War?

To apply for a grant, please click here to download the grant criteria and application form (PDF).

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The Endowment Council of the Canadian First World War Internment Recognition Fund (CFWWIRF) provides this website as a public service. Material contained within it carries no guarantee of any kind, express or implied. The CFWWIRF does not endorse, recommend or control linked websites and accepts no responsibility whatsoever for their contents or views.